Old Charms

First things first…no judging a girl for being all comfy! Exchange the shorts for leggings, add a super comfy sweatshirt blanket to the mix and that pretty much represents my weekend. And yes…that includes the beanie for my runs to the mailbox. Like I said…no judging…

I guess you could say this is a bit of a carry over from my “way to late for me” post from last night…the whole simplicity thing. I don’t know…I was laying in bed this morning just thinking about how we make our lives so complicated sometimes…whether its relationships, work or just ourselves. In thinking about all of that, yes, I thought to how certain things in life have taken away some of the charms of dating.

With that in mind, whatever happened to the days of handwritten letters and notes to the person you love?

My grandfather served in World War II. During his service, he was stationed in both North Africa and India/Indochina. During that time, my grandmother was back home raising two children. My grandparents made a point of writing each other every couple of days while he was overseas. Sometimes the letters were long and elaborate. Sometimes their letters were a simple, “I love you, miss you and just want you to know I’m safe.” I read several of them when I was younger and the letters were just…beautiful. It definitely makes you think of old school romance and putting effort into relationships.

With my own dating, I have always tried to mail or leave cards and notes for the person I was with. Sometimes it was a Post-It Note slipped into their bag or left on their dashboard. Sometimes it was mailed cards or letters. Sometimes a note on the bedside table or kitchen counter if I had to get up early for work. Some were short. Some were long and verbose. Ultimately though, these notes, letters and cards were about saying, “You matter to me and I want you to know that.” Since the advent of email and texting, I have noticed these things have gone by the wayside for so many people.

But don’t you all get a secret joy when you go to your mailbox and find something other than bills, solicitations and other junk mail? Doesn’t it put a smile on your face to see an actual letter or card in there? Me? I actually open it right there at the mailbox and read it before going in the house (weather permitting). And little notes left in places for me to find…those just make my heart melt.

Like I said last night, it can really be that simple. And we, all genders, are guilty of this lack of effort. I go through my own spells where I slip up on this too.

Speaking of simple, I had hit some serious bloggers black the past couple of days. I really struggled yesterday and have been thinking a lot about how I need to be more simple in my head when thinking about my blogs. Its so easy to overwhelm yourself by thinking about how to create the perfect scene. In case you haven’t noticed, me and overwhelmed don’t do well together.

I am curious though. What are your thoughts on love and Valentine’s Day? Do you look for extravagant or are you more interested in the simple things from the heart? Let me know what you think! I would love to hear what you really want from that special someone. 🙂